Special Occassion Lasagna

This Special Occassion Lasagna is truly an act of love. It is the dish that I make for friends’ weddings or for friends who have just had a baby or are grieving the loss of a loved one, a dish my mom often asks me to make for her birthday. It is the definition of project cooking but if you have an afternoon to spend in the kitchen, I can’t think of a better way to spend it. The combination of the red sauce, which is cooked for hours to yield a perfect ragù combined with the béchamel, herb and lemon scented ricotta mixture and the delicate homemade pasta sheets make this the best lasagna you will ever eat and completely worth the effort. To make it vegetarian, simply substitute the Italian sausage for your favorite vegetarian Italian sausage. (I personally find the Impossible vegetarian Italian sausage to be best.)

Red Sauce:

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 pounds fresh chicken Italian sausage, casing removed

• 1/2 large onion, peeled and diced

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 green bell pepper, diced

• 1/4 cup red wine

• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

• 3/4 tsp. dried basil

• 3/4 tsp.dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

• 4 large fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Ricotta Mixture:

• 1 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta

• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

• 2 large basil leaves, torn into small pieces

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Bechamel:

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

• 2 Tbsp. flour

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

• Pinch of cayenne

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Fresh Pasta:

• 3 cups flour

• 3 eggs

• 3/4 Tbsp. salt

Topping:

• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Make Red Sauce: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large heavy bottomed pot on medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook, stirring occasionally and using spoon to break sausage up, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a medium bowl making sure to reserve oil in the pot.

Add onion, garlic, and green pepper to the pot and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add red wine and cook for another five minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, dried basil and oregano, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil. At this point, you want to cook for at least 2 hours, up to 6 hours until sauce has cooked down and flavors have melded, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. I often start this sauce in the morning, and let cook the better part of the day on low heat. You can make this sauce a day or two ahead and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna.

Make Ricotta Mixture: In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, lemon juice, basil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator until ready to assemble lasagna.

Make Pasta and Béchamel: Whisk eggs and salt together in a small bowl until combined. Mound flour onto a clean work surface. Using your hands, make a well in the center about 3 inches in diameter. Pour egg mixture in the center and using a fork, slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture until dough begins to form.

Using a dough scraper, flip dough, slowly incorporating flour until dough is firm enough to knead. Knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is firm and smooth. Cover with a clean inverted bowl and let rest for 30 minutes. (Note: You will have additional flour left over which can be reserved for rolling out the pasta.)

While pasta rests, make the béchamel by melting 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium low heat. Once butter has completely melted whisk in 2 Tbsp. flour until it forms a paste. Continue to whisk while cooking for an additional minute or until it is just slightly golden brown in color, then add the milk. Increase the temperature to high and continue whisking to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan just until it boils, then immediately reduce heat to medium low to keep sauce at a low simmer. Continue to whisk until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the ground nutmeg, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Fill a large pot with water, a generous amount of salt and a splash of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Heat to a boil. While water is heating, cut pasta dough into 8 equal pieces. Place one piece of the dough on a lightly floured work surface and cover the remaining pieces with the inverted bowl to prevent them from drying out. Flatten the dough into a rectangle shape and starting on the widest setting, pass through the rollers of the pasta maker. Run through one additional time at widest setting, folding as needed to make sure it can fit through the machine and dusting with flour if it is sticky.

Adjust machine to the next narrower setting and run the dough through again. Continue until machine is at the next to narrowest setting (setting #5 on most pasta makers). Transfer rolled out pasta sheet to a clean lightly floured surface and repeat process with remaining dough until you have 8 long sheets. Make sure to not allow them to touch or they will stick together. If you don’t have enough counter space, you can also drape them on the backs of your dining room chairs or on a collapsible clothesline.

Fill a large bowl with ice water and about 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Once water in the pot reaches a boil, cook pasta in batches until just cooked, 1-2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer to the bowl of ice water. Repeat until all pasta has been cooked.

Assemble Lasagna: Preheat oven to 350. Spoon enough red sauce into a 9x13 inch baking pan to completely cover the bottom, then drizzle a layer of béchamel over the red sauce. Layer pasta sheets over the red sauce/béchamel mixture, with minimal overlap. (You can cut or tear the pasta to fit as needed.) Using a teaspoon, drop spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta, spaced roughly 1 inch apart. Then repeat the process, layering red sauce, béchamel, pasta, ricotta, and make sure to reserve enough red sauce to top the final layer of pasta. Top with the shredded mozzarella. Cover with tin foil, then bake covered for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Cook’s Note: You can make the red sauce 1-2 days ahead and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the lasagna. You can also make the pasta in advance by rolling it out and letting it dry. (Do not make pasta dough in advance if you don’t have time to roll out soon after making it and avoid cooking it until you’re ready to assemble.)